Stitched Snowflake

Fabiola's last challenge as host at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is a technique challenge, and she's chosen sewing.

My card was inspired by a technique from Splitcoaststampers, which I've put my own spin on.

I started by raiding my stash of backgrounds for a suitable blue, I wanted a bright, solid colour. This is what I chose.

It has flecks of gold in it.

I then stamped a snowflake onto scrap paper.

This is a great new stamp set that lets me create multicoloured snowflakes, but I used it a different way today.

I fastened it over the blue background, then pierced holes through the snowflake to give me a pattern to sew into.

This is the back of the background, you can see the pattern in the holes.

And then I embroidered the card with needle and white embroidery thread. This wasn't a quick task, and a bit fiddly to find the right holes, but didn't take a long as I feared.

This is my focal point, which I die cut with a stiched edge square die - all kinds of stitching, faux or real, are fine for this challenge.

To make this into a card, I cut sections of other blue, snowflake themed backgrounds from my stash, and arranged them together. I edged each in grey and drew on faux stitching with a grey pen. I stamped the word "snowflakes" on a scrap and edged that in the same way.

Finally, I stamped a small snowflake onto a scrap of paper and used that to pierce through the card and add small snowflakes or stars, embroidered in pale blue.

This is a bit of a different card for me, but it turned out really pretty. Partly due to the delicate embroidered snowflake, and partly drawing on the variety of themed backgrounds I found.

To share your version of a sewn card, head over to the 52CCT blog. This challenge is open until Friday 31st July.

White on white

For Fabiola's colour challenge at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, she's chosen something typically stylish - all white.

Texture and movement are the name of the game when there's no colour to create contrast.

I started by cutting a 6x6 card blank down slightly. I die cut a corner lattice (Tim Holtz) into the bottom right. Above this, I used two embossing folders. The corner is designed for envelopes, and the snowflakes are a border folder.

To add depth, I die cut a layered snowflake - this is a new die set that I couldn't resist buying!

The bottom layer is shiny coated card, which I stamped and heat embossed in a pearly white.

The next layer is matt white, then white vellum. The centre is a white glitter paper I found, and I added a tiny white pearl in the centre.

I drew clusters of dots over the card and heat embossed in the pearl white too.

The corners were cut with a punch.

I placed this over a full size 6x6 card base, and attached at the top of the back, so it moves freely.

This isn't exactly how I envisaged the card would turn out, but I'm happy with how it hangs together. I think I've created interest without colour - I'm not usually good with leaving open space, and that turns out to be true even with a white card!

I hope you have fun playing with this challenge theme. To share your card with us, pop over to 52CCT, where you'll also be able to check out the amazing inspiration from the other DT members - such a variety of styles, but all gorgeous cards.

You have until Friday 17th July to enter this challenge..

Playing with new toys!

Fabiola is our host on the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for July.

As always, we start the month with a sketch challenge. She has chosen for us:

I resisted the temptation to use a snowflake for the circle. Instead, I pulled out some gel plate backgrounds I made for the pink, purple and gold colour challenge last month and didn't use.

I cut the gold one to size for a 5x7 card. As I'd used a 6x6 gel plate to print it, there was a white strip top and bottom. I sponged the same paint colours into this.

From the other I die cut my circle, and a strip. I added distress ink to the strip to darken it a little.

The deer die cut was a recent sale purchase. I'd cut it in white card to see how it looked. I added versamark, then covered in Cosmic Shimmer mixed media embossing powder in "Funky Cold Patina". This has lots of colours and textures in and may be be new favourite thing!

I also covered a strip of scrap card in the powder, and dragged versamark around the edge of the card to frame in the powder.

To add pattern, I dipped my scrapper into the versamark and added hatching in the powder at the corners. 

The bottom half of the background was a little plain, so I overstamped with a flourish stamp and second generation plum stazon. I edged the card, circle and strips in black archival. Then put the pieces together (with glue).

The gold shimmer of the background doesn't really show here, or the sparkle of the powder. But I think you get an idea of the layers of pattern.






To join in with this sketch challenge, visit us at 52CCT. The linky is open until Friday 10th July. Have fun!